


Drowning

by MintyEye



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe within an Alternate Universe, Angst, Drowning, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, MerMay, NO DEATH, Pirate AU, Sick Character, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:54:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24176980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintyEye/pseuds/MintyEye
Summary: An exclusive fanfic for Mermay, taking place in the pirate AU.Ray's illness has been discovered by his crewmates during one of his attempts to hold a speech. The savior has taken notice and comes down from the ship's wheel to talk with him. All of this was in a distant memory.
Relationships: Choi Saeran & Main Character, Choi Saeran/Main Character, Choi Saeran/Original Character(s), Choi Saeran/Reader
Kudos: 33





	Drowning

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Mermay everyone!!
> 
> This may seem rushed, and I apologized in advance, but I couldn't just sit around while I had this idea in my head since the beginning of the month.
> 
> If you've enjoyed this writing, please leave some kudos or comments! They make my day!

_ “I need you all to-” A coughing fit had interrupted his statement, causing the whole crowd of pirates to fall silent. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ They had all watched in silence as he had been nearly brought to his knees by his own uncontrollable coughing, his lungs out of air as he kept allowing it to escape faster than he could regain it. The crew’s expressions were all shocked, disgusted at his illness, something that he couldn’t maintain. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Mr. Ray has an illness.” One person had murmured within the sea of people. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “He could doom us all if it spread..” Another had whispered. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Look at how pale he is, how could we not have known?” A third had muttered. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ As the rumors and gossip spread, the crowd grew progressively louder, until Ray had to keep his eyes to the ground beneath him. His breathing labored and uneven, all he could do was stand as he tried to recover from his sudden fit of coughing. He had raised a gloved hand to his chest, adjusting the waistcoat that had fallen off center due to his movements. He had cleared his throat, trying to maintain his authority before he spoke again. _

_ “I need you all to prepare the ship for docking… We should make our way to port by tomorrow.” He had tried to command them, though it seemed like his efforts were useless. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ The sound of heels against wood could be heard in the near distance behind him. With each step down a stair, the noise would ring through his ears once again like a plague. The crowd of crewmates had turned their attention towards the woman with long blonde hair, their eyes following her every movement. She had paused in front of Ray, turning to look at him with an expression filled with pity. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ He had looked at her with curious mint eyes, unknowing to what she had wanted to address. The captain coming to show herself from the wheel during a meeting like this was a rare occasion, one that happened once a blue moon. He had raised an eyebrow questioningly, before she had taken a deep breath in. She had opened her mouth to speak, with Ray’s attention completely on her. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Ray… There is no need for you to command them further.” Her voice had sounded monotone to him, lacking any form of emotion. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “They have found out about your illness, which has broken one of our most trusted rules.” She had explained to him, not showing any form of sympathy or regret. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “As a result, ill passengers must be thrown overboard.” She had raised her hand, and two of the higher ranked crewmates had approached him slowly. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Ray had stood in shock, his eyes widened, though his mouth unable to speak a word. He was as still as a statue, finding that he couldn’t move himself away from the two strong passengers who went to grab him by his thin arms. As he was picked up, their grip against him was harsh, almost unbearably so. He had tried to free himself, flailing and panicking as he was brought closer to the edge of the deck, overlooking the ocean that raged underneath them. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “My captain.. Please! There must be another way..!” He had tried shouting to her, pleading her to reconsider his punishment.  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ But he knew, deep down, there would be no reconsidering from the captain. When her mind was set on something, she would do anything to achieve it. And in a cruel reality, Ray could understand that. He understood his punishment was fair, he always had. He was putting his crewmates at risk by being ill with something incurable, and despite his attempts to hide it, there was no doubt that he would one day fail. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ He just wasn’t expecting it to be so soon. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “There is no other way, Ray. You understand the rules as well as I do.” She had started, and as she spoke Ray had only continued to panic further as he was brought above the railing keeping ordinary people from falling off. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “You must realize that this is.. Our only option.” She had raised her hand again, signaling the two people holding him by his arms. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ He was swung back, before being tossed off the ship and into the air. The breeze had slapped against his face with a feeling of chill, and all he could do was watch as the ship continued to sail without him, until his inevitable slam onto the surface of the ocean. He had closed his eyes as the waves had covered him, causing him to sink further below the surface. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ He had coughed again, bubbles of air coming out of his mouth. The water was freezing against his frail and timid frame, his clothes no longer dry, his hair covering his face. He allowed himself to sink further, finding it progressively harder to breathe as he struggled to keep his oxygen. He faintly raised a hand towards what he thought was the sky, before he felt something hit into him. He had blacked out immediately after, not able to register what exactly had slammed into his side. _

The pressing of hands against his chest had woken him up, though not immediately. He had coughed, sputtering as water had escaped his lungs, the same water that had prevented him from breathing. He had not yet opened his eyes, though he was unable to determine where he was.   
  
The ground beneath him felt hard and cold against his soaking clothes. There was a faint sound of droplets of water hitting the ground, and a silent murmur from in front of him. He had coughed again, his chest in pain after having it pressed against so hard.   
  
“Are you awake?” He had heard a soft voice ask out to him, though his thoughts were still swimming in an endless sea.   
  
He had opened his eyes slowly, his vision blurred considerably. He had seen the blurry image of a person in front of him, with long, brown hair and an expression he couldn’t quite make out. He had put his hands beneath him and tried to sit up, however a gentle hand on his chest had pushed him back down.   
  
“You shouldn’t get up yet, your body is still weak.” She had said to him, which had only caused him to sigh.    
  
He was shivering under his layers of clothing, deciding instead to roll onto his side and curl into himself. He had opened his eyes again, rubbing them with his hands in an attempt to rid them of the blurriness that plagued him. After a short period of rubbing them, he had gained most of his vision back, prompting him to look at his surroundings immediately.   
  
It was dark, though he was able to make out certain aspects of the area. The floor was stone, the ceiling was stone, with pieces of stalactites that looked like fangs coming down from the ceiling, with stalagmites appearing like the bottom fangs. Dripping off of them was water droplets, presumably from the ocean that could be heard nearby. The waves were crashing against the entrance to the small cave area, causing Ray to wonder how he was still alive.   
  
He had rolled back onto his backside and tried to sit up again, only to be pushed back down. He had looked again at the person who had presumably saved him, only to get a clearer picture. Her long, brown hair was held up in two ponytails using seaweed. Her darker brown eyes had looked over him with a concerned expression, almost with an irritated flash as he had tried sitting up for a second time.   
  
“Don’t push yourself too hard like that, you’ll end up making it worse.” She had told him, causing him to groan a little.   
  
“Why… Won’t you let me move?” He had asked her, coughing as he had tried to speak.    
  
His throat had felt sore and dry, presumably from the salt in the sea water. He despised that feeling greatly, and instead chose to remain silent as the mystery person had tried to explain herself to him.   
  
“You had almost drowned, and would have if I didn’t save you. Do you not remember anything at all?” She had explained his predicament to her, though he truthfully could only remember being thrown overboard.   
  
“You… Saved me? I only remember being thrown off of my ship…” He had muttered to himself quietly, not wanting to strain himself further by speaking too loudly.   
  
“Humans truly are foul creatures, if they throw away one of their own like waste when they’re vulnerable.” The mysterious woman in front of him had muttered to herself, causing Ray to grow suspicious.   
  
While she was looking away, he had forced himself to sit up with shaky arms, only to realize that the person in front of him was not really a person at all. While her waist up had looked normal, she had no legs like a normal human being. They were replaced with a long tail that had looked similar to a fish’s, with beautiful pink scales that would have sparkled in the sun. Dotting her face and stomach, more scales were shown. He had rubbed his eyes again, believing he was seeing things.   
  
“I thought I told you not to strain yourself! You almost die, and yet you’re forcing yourself up. Relax for your own sake, please.” She had placed a gentle hand on his chest, pushing him back down to the cold, hard stone of the ground.   
  
“Are you.. A mermaid? As the legend speaks?” He had coughed up another question, pressing a hand against his chest as he began to feel pain once again.   
  
He felt himself growing progressively exhausted as he struggled to register his condition. He was still gravely ill, in damp clothes, laying on a cold floor in a cave. He didn’t know how much longer he could withstand the condition he was in, before succumbing to that, rather than drowning.   
  
“That isn’t important right now. What’s important is getting you back to proper land, you look incredibly ill.. And I’m unable to take care of you.” He could hear the sadness in her tone as she spoke, causing him to feel guilty about his circumstances that had caused this.   
  
“You could at least… Share your name with me? I want to remember you.. For saving my life.” He had said weakly, feeling his exhaustion grow the more he had talked with the mermaid.   
  
“My name..? It’s Sunset, though, you owe me a name in return.” She had shot back a subtle question about his name.   
  
He had sighed for a moment, before deciding to give it out to her.   
  
“My name is Ray… It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sunset.” he had yawned a little to himself quietly, feeling the eyebags he had grow heavier the longer he stayed conscious.   
  
“You look tired, my dear. You should sleep… So I can bring you back to shore without difficulty.” She had whispered to him quietly in hopes it would help him succumb to his exhaustion.   
  
“But… I want to get to know you better..” He had muttered, his voice growing thick with drowsiness.    
  
She had smiled a little, though he couldn’t see it. She shifted herself closer to him and placed a gentle hand on his cheek, rubbing it slightly with her thumb. She was concerned at how cold he was to the touch, telling her she needed to find a doctor for him fast. He had looked like he was desperately clinging to consciousness, struggling to keep his eyes open.   
  
“You’ll see me again, I promise. But first.. You should find medical aid.” She had whispered to him again slowly.   
  
He had struggled to listen to that last part as he had finally managed to fall asleep, closing his eyes for the first time since being thrown overboard. Her hand, despite belonging to that of a mermaid, felt warm and comforting against his cheek as she rubbed it. His breathing, while still labored and uneven due to his illness, had slowed down considerably, telling Sunset that he had fallen asleep.   
  
Wasting no time, she had gently pulled him and laid him across her back, making sure he was holding on before diving back into the ocean, speedily swimming towards the nearby shore that belonged to a small merchant’s town.

  
  



End file.
